The Day Our Promise Breaks (Charles and Evelyn) novel Chapter 570

The distance between them closed, inch by inch.

Their breaths tangled together, heavy and warm.

But just before his lips met Evelyn’s, Brooks stopped himself, holding back.

He gazed down at the softness so close he could nearly taste it.

Brooks’ breathing lost its rhythm.

His Adam’s apple bobbed involuntarily, tension thrumming through him.

A storm of emotions flickered in his eyes.

But in the end, the kiss landed gently on Evelyn’s forehead—a feather-light touch.

A whisper of a kiss.

Gone before it could even begin.

It wasn’t that Brooks didn’t desire Evelyn.

On the contrary, he ached to be close to her.

But he wanted their next step—any deeper intimacy—to happen when Evelyn was fully awake, fully aware.

Halfway through the drive, rain began to fall, tapping insistently against the windows.

Evelyn slept on, undisturbed by the storm outside.

When the car finally stopped in front of Evelyn’s new place, Brooks glanced over and saw she was still sound asleep.

He signaled for the driver to leave them alone.

He didn’t wake her.

Sitting so still for so long, his legs prickled with uncomfortable numbness, but he didn’t move, not wanting to disturb her.

Instead, he picked up his tablet, slipped on his Bluetooth earpiece, and dealt with work quietly.

Between emails and calls, he’d glance over at Evelyn, his gaze soft, simply waiting for her to wake up.

…

At the hospital

Blake came to check on Charles.

He brought the latest updates about Dahlia from the northern border.

A little over a month ago—

Dahlia had barely boarded the boat when she realized something was wrong.

The route was all wrong, the opposite of what her phone’s GPS showed.

The final destination her phone pointed to sent a chill through her: the northern border.

Just reading those words made Dahlia’s skin crawl, a cold dread washing over her.

She knew exactly what awaited her if she ended up there.

Any joy she’d felt at escaping evaporated instantly.

Out at sea, there was nowhere to run.

She had nothing left but her body, and used it to please the three men on board.